D_Hemptress
Well-known member
Hello all! I was asked by another member to make a post about how to rear and keep silkworms for fun or as I do, feeders. Silkworms cannot bite or harm your animals because they have no sharp jaws or legs They cannot jump, escape or hide, unlike many other insects. No annoying sounds or odors, which I absolutely hate about crickets. Silkworms are a high source of Calcium, Protein, Iron, Magnesium, Sodium, and Vitamins B1, B2, and B3. Because of their high calcium content, silkworms are excellent for gravid females. Silkworms help gravid females to produce strong healthy eggs. Silkworms are also undemanding, only requiring a dry environment, no special containers or any water… They are so easy it’s almost ridiculous.
Recommendations for obtaining:
I ordered 50 micro worms from silkwormshop.com (I highly recommend them, a lot of the information being provided on this thread was obtained from their website, including several others.) as well as a1/2 lbs. of mulberry paste as recommended by the site. I did end up buying a lot more after the first purchase, so I would recommend purchasing a pound to start off with. I, personally, ended up feeding them a whole pound or more before they started to spin their cocoons.
Housing/Environment:
The worms were received in an 8oz deli cup with mulberry paste spread at the bottom (I was instructed to remove all the old food and replace with fresh paste. Which I did, but I’m not sure it was a necessity.) I believe, I was able to keep them in that 8ozer for a week or two before having to switch to a bigger Tupperware. Later, as they became crowded in the Tupperware moved them into a large cardboard box which I cut a square out of the lid and glued screen in its place. I put wax paper at the bottom of the enclosure so that the mulberry paste would not absorb into the paper. And for cleaning I would just remove the worms, take out the old dirty paper, replace, and put the worms back. Cleaning is only required ever few days at first. But as the silkworms grow larger their poo does as well. They also will poo more often as they are eating more, so you are going to want to do it more frequently, basically once a day.
I keep my box o’ worms in the living room next to my mantids and they do just dandy at room temperature. I’ve read on different sites that they have to be kept at certain temperatures at certain stages in their life. But I call bullshit on that one. When keeping them as a kid and now, I’ve kept them at room temperature with no problems.
Food/Feeding:
Silkworms have a very strict diet and will only eat mulberry leaves or mulberry paste.
I was advised to use a cheese grater to grate the food over the worms, but I don’t see how this would be done as the food is in a deli cup. What I ended up doing was, since the food is kept in the refrigerator it is firm enough for me to turn the cup over and use my feeding tongs to scrape bits evenly over the worms. Same effect, different process! *WINK* Now, on the other hand, when they are first born you cannot put the food directly on the worms. This will kill them. I read a great idea someone had on “thesilkwormshop.com”, saying to put the food into a syringe and make a very controlled line of food where ever I want it to be! This only needs to be done for the first 7-10 days after hatching. After that you can return to the sprinkle method. Be sure you have enough food to last you through their entire life cycle. Silkworms do not require water; all of their H2O are acquired from the leaves/paste. Excessive condensation forming in the container after feeding is the leading cause of failure. If this condensation does form, take the lid off your container and allow the container and old food to completely dry out. You want to wait for the old food to dry completely before adding fresh food. Old damp food is a breeding ground for mold and other problems, dry food is not.
Life Cycle:
Silkworms have three distinct morphological stages; larva, pupa and adult. After hatching from the egg, larvae go through four molts as they grow. During each molt, the old skin is cast off and a new, larger one is produced. The silk worm larval life is divided into five instars, separated by four molts. Under ideal conditions (78° to 88° F and allowed to feed nearly continuously) silkworms can go from egg to 1 inch in length in about 12 days, and 3 inches in under 30 days. The worms will begin to spin cocoons at about 28 - 30 days old or when they are between 2 1/2 and 3 inches long. When they start spinning cocoons they will start eating less, and once they start their cocoon they will never eat again! When you think that you worms are getting close to making their cocoons put toilet paper rolls or what I used was egg carton in with them. Once they are completely done with the cocoon you will be able you shake it and hear them rattling around inside. Silkworm moths emerge from their cocoons after spending about two to three weeks metamorphosing. As moths, they do not eat or fly. They will usually mate, lay eggs and die within a week. Fertile eggs turn from yellow to gray or purple in a week or so.
Breeding:
Breeding silkworms is actually extremely easy. Pheromones are released by female moths and the males detect the chemicals with olfactory hairs on their antennae. This allows the male to find the female for mating. Before the moths emerged from their cocoons I put each individual cocoon in an egg carton where the egg would usually go. After they had emerged I removed the cocoon from the box. While they were mating (you will see them connect and stay attached for several hours) I made sure to put a mark on their wings to ensure that I didn’t feed one my mantids that hadn’t had a chance to mate. The eggs will be laid on the egg carton. It may take a few days for the eggs to change color. Eggs can be kept in the freezer until you are ready for them to hatch. I haven’t read this anywhere but I used to do this when I was kid, so I know its fine. If kept around 80degrees they should hatch in about a week or two.
Recommendations for obtaining:
I ordered 50 micro worms from silkwormshop.com (I highly recommend them, a lot of the information being provided on this thread was obtained from their website, including several others.) as well as a1/2 lbs. of mulberry paste as recommended by the site. I did end up buying a lot more after the first purchase, so I would recommend purchasing a pound to start off with. I, personally, ended up feeding them a whole pound or more before they started to spin their cocoons.
Housing/Environment:
The worms were received in an 8oz deli cup with mulberry paste spread at the bottom (I was instructed to remove all the old food and replace with fresh paste. Which I did, but I’m not sure it was a necessity.) I believe, I was able to keep them in that 8ozer for a week or two before having to switch to a bigger Tupperware. Later, as they became crowded in the Tupperware moved them into a large cardboard box which I cut a square out of the lid and glued screen in its place. I put wax paper at the bottom of the enclosure so that the mulberry paste would not absorb into the paper. And for cleaning I would just remove the worms, take out the old dirty paper, replace, and put the worms back. Cleaning is only required ever few days at first. But as the silkworms grow larger their poo does as well. They also will poo more often as they are eating more, so you are going to want to do it more frequently, basically once a day.
I keep my box o’ worms in the living room next to my mantids and they do just dandy at room temperature. I’ve read on different sites that they have to be kept at certain temperatures at certain stages in their life. But I call bullshit on that one. When keeping them as a kid and now, I’ve kept them at room temperature with no problems.
Food/Feeding:
Silkworms have a very strict diet and will only eat mulberry leaves or mulberry paste.
I was advised to use a cheese grater to grate the food over the worms, but I don’t see how this would be done as the food is in a deli cup. What I ended up doing was, since the food is kept in the refrigerator it is firm enough for me to turn the cup over and use my feeding tongs to scrape bits evenly over the worms. Same effect, different process! *WINK* Now, on the other hand, when they are first born you cannot put the food directly on the worms. This will kill them. I read a great idea someone had on “thesilkwormshop.com”, saying to put the food into a syringe and make a very controlled line of food where ever I want it to be! This only needs to be done for the first 7-10 days after hatching. After that you can return to the sprinkle method. Be sure you have enough food to last you through their entire life cycle. Silkworms do not require water; all of their H2O are acquired from the leaves/paste. Excessive condensation forming in the container after feeding is the leading cause of failure. If this condensation does form, take the lid off your container and allow the container and old food to completely dry out. You want to wait for the old food to dry completely before adding fresh food. Old damp food is a breeding ground for mold and other problems, dry food is not.
Life Cycle:
Silkworms have three distinct morphological stages; larva, pupa and adult. After hatching from the egg, larvae go through four molts as they grow. During each molt, the old skin is cast off and a new, larger one is produced. The silk worm larval life is divided into five instars, separated by four molts. Under ideal conditions (78° to 88° F and allowed to feed nearly continuously) silkworms can go from egg to 1 inch in length in about 12 days, and 3 inches in under 30 days. The worms will begin to spin cocoons at about 28 - 30 days old or when they are between 2 1/2 and 3 inches long. When they start spinning cocoons they will start eating less, and once they start their cocoon they will never eat again! When you think that you worms are getting close to making their cocoons put toilet paper rolls or what I used was egg carton in with them. Once they are completely done with the cocoon you will be able you shake it and hear them rattling around inside. Silkworm moths emerge from their cocoons after spending about two to three weeks metamorphosing. As moths, they do not eat or fly. They will usually mate, lay eggs and die within a week. Fertile eggs turn from yellow to gray or purple in a week or so.
Breeding:
Breeding silkworms is actually extremely easy. Pheromones are released by female moths and the males detect the chemicals with olfactory hairs on their antennae. This allows the male to find the female for mating. Before the moths emerged from their cocoons I put each individual cocoon in an egg carton where the egg would usually go. After they had emerged I removed the cocoon from the box. While they were mating (you will see them connect and stay attached for several hours) I made sure to put a mark on their wings to ensure that I didn’t feed one my mantids that hadn’t had a chance to mate. The eggs will be laid on the egg carton. It may take a few days for the eggs to change color. Eggs can be kept in the freezer until you are ready for them to hatch. I haven’t read this anywhere but I used to do this when I was kid, so I know its fine. If kept around 80degrees they should hatch in about a week or two.
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